Monday, July 7, 2008

Fighting Crime

A Message from Robert KellyCo-Chair, SW Orange County Crime Prevention Task Force

Rick Geller has observed a direct connection between rising crime in Southwest and West Orange County--including brazen daytime crimes--and the lack of visible law enforcement presence in our neighborhoods. We pay some of the County's highest taxes and yet see very few marked Sheriff’s office vehicles patrolling our neighborhoods, except for the off-duty patrols that we pay extra for through our Homeowner Association dues. Residential burglaries last year rose an alarming 15%, from 105 to 120 incidents, in the Dr. Phillips area alone. Rick Geller views this as intolerable and believes reasonable and cost effective actions can be taken to reduce this rising crime rate.

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"Rick has committed himself to working with our next Sheriff ... so more deputies in marked vehicles appear regularly in our neighborhoods."_______________________

Last year, Rick asked me to join him in organizing the Southwest Orange County Crime Prevention Task Force. Our main purpose, as community volunteers, has been to press for more deputy patrols in our residential subdivisions. Our Task Force is meeting with all candidates for Orange County Sheriff--and Rick has already met directly with Sheriff Beary--to express our deep concern over this issue. Rick has committed himself to working with our next Sheriff to reallocate resources within the Sheriff's Department so more deputies in marked vehicles appear regularly in our neighborhoods. No one has taken a more pro-active role on this critical public safety issue than Rick Geller. Once elected, I have no doubt Rick will work diligently as he has over the years to improve our community's safety.

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About this Blog

I converted my old campaign website into this blog. After Commissioner Boyd appointed me to the Orange County Planning and Zoning Board, I decided to use this blog to discuss issues of importance affecting local government, and to expound on ideas for improving our built environment.

At community meeting after community meeting, citizens express outrage and opposition to new development proposals. Citizens appear before the Planning and Zoning Board, fearful that approval will enable another McDonald's with cartoon architecture or another strip shopping center with a massive, half-empty parking lot in front. Attitudes toward our built environment range mostly from dislike to indifference.

The 1960s-era suburban sprawl model causes traffic congestion, traps our children, the disabled, and elderly in subdivisions without transportation, and produces strip commercial development of poor aesthetic quality. We build sidewalks without shade trees despite Florida's oppresive summer heat. We build subdivisions with 60% or more of each house front devoted to a blank garage. Having turned our roadways into highways, our kids can no longer walk to school.

There is a better way. We are fortunate to have real-world models in Central Florida founded on principles of New (and traditional) Urbanism--Baldwin Park, Celebration, Avalon Park, and Winter Park's Park Avenue--for all to experience. However, our zoning codes make walkable communities illegal (without jumping through innmerable hoops).

I am hopeful this blog will help educate about the benefits of form-based zoning reforms enacted in 2010 in Miami and Denver and under consideration in other cities. The new codes, over the course of decades, can change development configurations from suburban sprawl to walkable urbanism. I compiled the links below to provide you with a multitude of sources. I am hopeful you will join me in advocating a better way.

Rick

"The Legality of Form-Based Zoning Codes," Journal of Land Use... (FL State Univ School of Law)

About Rick

I am a partner with Fishback Dominick in Winter Park, a law firm founded in 1935, where I practice in the areas of business and commercial litigation and, on a selective basis, land use law. I taught Land Use Law as an adjunct professor in the Master of Planning in Civic Urbanism program at Rollins College, in Winter Park, Florida for three years. I previously served as an Orange County Planning and Zoning Commissioner, appointed by District 1 Commissioner Scott Boyd. I reside in Winter Park with my wife, Gabriela, and four terrific kids.

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Blog and Web Feeds

Below you'll find links to interesting blogs and websites relating to transportation, the law, and the built environment. I don't necessarily agree with all positions taken by the blogging authors, but generally find them well-informed and thoughtful.